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RELIGIOUS  CONDITION  OF  THE  CHINESE, 


THEIR  CLAIMS  ON  THE  CHURCH. 


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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/religiousconditiOOculb 


THE 


RELIGIOUS  CONDITION  OF  THE  CHINESE, 

AND  THEIR  CLAIMS  ON  THE  CHURCH: 


A SERMON 

PREACHED  FOR 


THE  BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN 

CHURCH, 

IN  NEW  YORK,  MAY  3,  185  7, 


REV.  M.  SIMPSON  CULBERTSON, 


OF  THE  MISSION  AT  SHANGHAI,  CHINA. 


NEW  YORK: 

PRINTED  FOR  THE  BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS, 

By  Edward  O.  Jenkins,  26  Frankfort  Street. 

1 8 5 7. 


. 

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. 


. 


. 


SERMON 


Behold,  these  shall  come  from  far  ; and  lo,  these  from  the  north  and  from  the  west ; and  these  from  the 
'land  of  Sini  m — Isaiah  xlix 12.  ^ 

One  of  the  great  mysteries  of  godliness  of  which  the  apostle  Paul  so 
-often  speaks,  is  the  fact  that  Christ  was  preached  unto  the  Gentiles.  That 
great  apostle  felt  it  to  be  a peculiar  privilege  to  preach  among  the  Gentiles 
the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,  to  make  all  men  see  what  is  the  fellow- 
ship of  the  mystery  which,  from  the  beginning  of  the  world,  hath  been  hid 
in  God.  This  great  truth  was  a mystery,  because  it  had  not  been  made 
known  so  clearly  as  to  be  understood.  To  the  apostles  it  was  one  of  the 
peculiar  glories  of  the  Gospel.  To  us  it  has  become  so  familiar  that  it 
affects  our  hearts  scarce  more  than  does  the  fact  that  the  sun  shines  in  the 
heavens. 

In  the  chapter  we  are  now  considering,  this  wonderful  mystery  is  set 
-vividly  before  us.  It  is  the  Son  of  God  who  here  speaks  to  us.  This 
is  a magnificent  missionary  sermon  by  the  great  Prince  of  missionaries 
himself.  The  truth  he  is  about  to  declare  concerns  the  whole  earth,  and 
he  therefore  introduces  the  discourse  by  invoking  the  attention  of  the 
world.  “Listen,  0 isles,  unto  me  ; and  hearken,  ye  people  from  far  ! ” He 
presents  to  our  view  in  an  interlocutory  form  the  covenant  made  by  the 
Father  with  the  Son,  in  which  the  mystery  of  Christ  believed  on  among 
the  Gentiles  is  set  forth  in  this  most  emphatic  language  ; “It  is  a light 
thing  that  thou  shouldst  be  my  servant  to  raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob 
and  to  restore  the  preserved  of  Israel.  I will  also  give  thee  for  a light  to 
the  Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest  be  my  salvation  unto  the  end  of  the  earth.” 

The  Messiah  having  given  the  Father’s  promise  to  himself,  addresses  the 
•Church,  declaring  his  unalterable  love.  It  is  at  the  close  of  the  Father’s 
address  to  the  Son,  and  before  that  of  the  Son  to  the  Church,  that  we  find 
the  remarkable  language  of  the  text : “ Behold,  these  shall  come  from  far  ; 
-and  lo,  these  from  the  north  and  from  the  west ; and  these  from  the  land 
of  Sinim  ! ” 

This  seems  intended  to  sum  up  the  results  of  the  promises  which  pre- 
cede, and  the  promises  which  follow.  It  is  probably  designed  to  include 
vthe  whole  world,  presented  under  the  usual  four-fold  division.  Three  of 


4 


THE  RELIGIOUS  CONDITION  OF  THE  CHINESE, 

the  four  quarters  of  the  world  are  mentioned  in  general  terms;  for  the 
fourth  the  name  of  a particular  country  is  given.  What  country  is  it  that 
is  thus  distinguished  in  a prophecy  embracing  so  wide  a range  ? 

It  is  obvious  in  the  first  place  that  this  land  must  be  looked  for  to  the 
South  or  the  East  of  Judea;  the  north  and  the  west  being  expressly  men- 
tioned as  distinct  from  it.  It  is  evident,  too,  that  it  must  be  a country  of 
extraordinary  importance  on  account  of  its  magnitude,  population  or  po- 
litical power,  and  one,  too,  that  is  remote  from  Judea.  Egypt,  on  the  south, 
might  answer  the  other  requisites,  but  it  is  too  near  to  Judea  to  be  a suitable- 
parallel  to  the  first  clause.  It  is  a consideration  of  great  weight,  too,  that 
however  high  Egypt  may  have  once  ranked  among  the  nations,  it  has  now 
become  the  basest  of  kingdoms. 

The  terms  of  the  prophecy,  then,  in  connexion  with  historical  facts,  point 
us  to  the  extreme  eastern  limit  of  the  Asiatic  continent  as  the  situation  of  this 
great  prophetic  land.  There  we  find  in  China  all  the  characteristics  which 
the  prophecy  seems  to  attribute  to  the  land  of  Sinim.  In  population,  in 
extent  of  territory,  in  material  wealth,  and  political  importance,  it  is,  at  the 
present  time,  incomparably  superior  to  any  other  country  to  which  this- 
name  can  be  supposed  to  refer. 

If  this  were  not  enough,  the  name  itself  would  point  us  to  China.  For* 
many  hundred  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  that  land  was  known  among 
the  nations  lying  to  the  west  of  it  by  the  name  of  Tsin  or  Chin  ; a name 
which  seems  to  be  identical  with  that  which  is  here  employed  by  the  pro- 
phet. He  employs  the  plural  form,  perhaps,  because  although  originally  it 
belonged  properly  to  but  one  of  the  feudal  principalities  composing  the 
Chinese  Empire,  it  here  includes  them  all  ; or,  perhaps,  because  it  was 
meant  to  include  neighboring  nations,  some  of  which  are  still  tributary  to 
China.  We  now  use  the  term,  “ The  East  Indies,”  in  much  the  same  sense. 

It  is  not  a little  remarkable  that  the  name  here  employed  is,  in  effect, 
identical  with  that  by  which  this  country  is  generally  known  in  our  own 
day,  when  the  prophecy  seems  about  to  be  fulfiled.  The  prophecy  points  to^ 
the  aspect  of  the  world  at  the  time  of  its  fulfilment,  rather  than  that  at  the 
time  of  its  utterance.  It  is  worthy  of  observation,  too,  that  of  all  the  na- 
tions here  referred  to,  China  is  the  only  one  which  remains  to  this  day  in  so- 
nearly  the  same  condition  in  which  it  was  at  the  time  the  prophet  wrote,  as 
to  retain  every  thing  necessary  to  national  identity.  This  may  be  one- 
reason  why  it  alone  is  mentioned  by  name. 

We  may  safely  assume,  then,  that  we  have  here  a distinct  prediction  of 
the  conversion  of  the  Chinese.  This  prediction  involves  the  duty  resting- 
upon  those  who  have  it  in  their  power  to  use  the  means  by  which  this  result 
may  be  brought  about.  The  prophecy  appeals  with  peculiar  force  to  the 
churches  of  England  and  the  United  States.  They,  from  the  far  North,  and 


AND  THEIR  CLAIMS  ON  THE  CHURCH. 


O 


wc,  from  the  distant  West,  have  already  answered  the  Messiah’s  call,  and 
have  been  admitted  to  citizenship  in  his  kingdom  ; and  these  two  great 
Protestant  nations  of  the  earth  are  precisely  those  which,  on  account  of 
their  intimate  relations  and  constant  intercourse  with  China,  are  in  the  * 
best  position  for  making  known  to  the  Chinese  the  Gospel  of  our  salvation. 

We  owe,  then,  a duty  to  the  Chinese.  Let  me  therefore  present  for  your 
consideration  some  of  the  facts  in  relation  to  this  great  field  of  missionary 
labor,  which  should  impel  us  to  a vigorous  and  earnest  discharge  of  that 
duty. 

In  the  first  place,  let  me  call  your  attention  for  a moment  to  that  hack- 
neyed theme,  the  immense  population  of  China.  According  to  a census 
taken  by  the  Chinese  government  in  the  year  1812,  the  population  was 
three  hundred  and  sixty  millions.  There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  the  proxi- 
mate accuracy  of  this  census,  and  certainly  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the 
returns  were  intentionally  falsified.  If  we  suppose  that  since  that  time 
there  has  been  even  a small  increase,  the  population  at  the  present  time 
cannot  be  less  than  four  hundred  millions.  This  statement  we  have  as  yet 
no  means  of  verifying,  but  if  we  may  reason  from  the  condition  of  that 
portion  of  the  country  with  which  we  are  acquainted,  to  that  of  the  portion 
of  which  we  are  still  ignorant,  we  cannot  but  believe  that  these  figures  are 
not  an  exaggeration. 

Glance  at  the  country  around  Shanghai  and  Ningpo.  The  land  teems 
with  inhabitants.  Go  where  you  will,  you  see  on  every  hand  large  villages 
and  small  hamlets  of  every  grade,  from  the  little  collection  of  a dozen 
houses,  to  the  town  of  ten  thousand  inhabitants.  As  you  pass  along  the 
narrow  foot-roads  winding  through  the  fields,  you  everywhere  see  yourself 
surrounded  by  the  busy  activity  of  an  industrious  people.  The  farmer  is 
at  work  in  his  fields.  The  traveler  in  his  sedan,  or  in  his  uneasy  seat 
upon  the  clumsy  wheelbarrow,  is  borne  along  upon  his  journey.  Foot 
passengers  cross  each  others’  paths  on'  the  numerous  intersecting  roads  ; 
and  in  the  canal  or  river,  one  of  which  is  always  near,  boats  propelled  by 
scull  or  sail,  are  toiling  slowly  on  their  way. 

Then  look  again  at  the  numerous  large  towns  and  cities.  Within  from 
five  to  fifteen  miles  of  Ningpo,  we  have  some  ten  or  twelve  towns,  contain- 
ing from  three  thousand  to  ten  thousand  inhabitants;  and  within  from 
twelve  to  sixty  miles  there  are  not  less  than  five  cities  with  a population 
of  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  thousand. 

Within  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the  west  of  Ningpo,  there  are  at 
least  ten  cities,  which  have  been  visited  by  missionaries,  each  containing  a 
population  of  from  fifty  thousand  to  one  hundred  thousand;  and  there  are 
probably  double  that  number  with  a population  of  twenty  thousand. 
Ningpo  and  Shanghai  each  contain  a population  of  some  three  hundred 


6 THE  RELIGIOUS  CONDITION  OF  THE  CHINESE, 

thousand.  Within  one  hundred  miles  of  Ningpo  stands  the  city  of  Shan- 
tung, with  an  equal  population;  and  some  thirty  miles  from  Shanghai,  with 
an  equal,  or  even  a larger  population,  is  the  city  of  Sungkiang. 

And  what  shall  we  say  of  those  monster  cities,  scarce  equaled  in  all  the 
world  beside?  There  is  Peking  with  three  millions;  Suchau  with  two 
millions  ; Ilangchau  and  Canton  with  a million  each;  and  Wuchang  and 
two  associate  cities,  situated  like  New  York,  Brooklyn  and  Jersey  City, 
containing  an  aggregate  population  of  four  or  five  millions,  or,  according, 
to  the  Jesuit  traveler,  M.  Hue,  eight  millions,  equal  to  three  times  the 
population  of  London.  Besides  these,  there  are  many  cities,  of  which  we 
have  no  definite  information,  the  population  of  which  must  be  over  half  a 
million. 

Compare  this  now  with  the  United  States.  With  all  our  truly  wonderful 
progress  we  had  in  1850,  but  nine  cities  of  over  one  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants,  and  but  two  of  these,  even  now,  approach  to  a population  of 
half  a million.  Besides  these,  we  had  but  twenty-seven  towns  numbering 
over  twenty  thousand,  and  thirty-nine  others  with  over  ten  thousand  in- 
habitants. The  contrast  is  not  surprising  when  we  remember  that  some 
single  provinces  in  China  contain  a population  greater  than  that  of  the 
whole  United  States. 

In  view  of  these  facts  we  can  appreciate  the  vast  significance  of  the 
movements  at  this  moment  going  on  in  China.  These  populous  regions 
are  now  about  to  be  thrown  open,  so  that  the  Gospel  may  have  free  course 
among  these  overflowing  cities.  The  alarm  of  war  is  again  heard  upon 
those  distant  shores,  and  the  sword  shall  not  be  sheathed  until  those  bar- 
rier walls  of  pride  and  self-seclusion  shall  have  been  battered  to  the  dust. 
We  shall  then  have  free  access  to  those  vast  regions  which  have  hitherto 
been  closed  against  us.  A magnificent  field  of  operations  is  thus  opening 
before  us.  Is  the  Church  prepared  to  enter  it  ? 

In  order  to  understand  better  the  nature  of  the  work  to  be  done,  and 
feel  more  than  we  have  felt  the  necessity  for  doing  it,  let  us  look  at  the. 
religious  condition  of  these  millions  of  people. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  they  are  idolaters.  All  idolatry  is  based  upon  a 
misconception  of  the  nature  and  character  of  God,  and  a misapprehension 
of  the  nature  of  our  relation  , to  him.  The  Chinese  are  involved  in  the 
grossest  error  in  regard  to  all  these  points.  They  have  no  proper  concep- 
tion of  the  unity  of  God.  Even  when  they  look  upon  the  chief  deity  of 
their  several  pantheons  as  one  superior  to  all  others,  they  do  not  clothe 
him  with  omnipotence  and  omniscience,  in  any  such  sense  as  would  enable 
him  to  dispense  with  the  aid  of  a crowd  of  minor  deities,  each  ruling  over 
some  department  of  nature,  and  acknowledging,,  at  most,  but  a kind  of 
feudal  subordination  to  their  chief. 


AXD  THEIR  CLAIMS  OS  TnE  CHURCH. 


The  emperor,  as  the  great  High  Priest  of  the  nation,  worships  the  August 
Puler  on  High,  as  the  governor  of  the  world  ; hut  he  worships  also  Heaven 
and  Earth,  as  the  greatest  exhibitions  of  his  power,  while  he  at  the  same 
time  offers  sacrifices  and  prayers  to  the  sun  and  moon  and  stars  : to  the  gods 
of  the  hills  and  valleys  ; of  the  wind,  of  thunder,  of  rivers,  and  of  seas  : 
to  ancient  monarchs  and  heroes,  and  sages,  and  to  his  own  imperial  ances- 
tors. In  these  services  of  the  state  religion,  the  emperor  uses  no  idols  ; 
but  the  mass  of  the  nation,  while  they  worship  Heaven  and  Earth  as  the 
highest  representatives  of  the  Deity,  yet  worship  innumerable  idols,  repre- 
senting almost  every  operation  in  nature — almost  every  occupation  known 
among  men. 

They  are  utterly  in  error  as  to  the  character  of  God.  He  is  not  to  them 
a God  of  infinite  holiness,  hating  all  iniquity,  and  not  looking  upon  sin 
with  the  least  degree  of  allowance.  Although  the  Chinese  do  not,  in  their 
sacred  legends,  attribute  to  their  deities  such  gross  vices  as  the  heathen 
generally  do,  they  nevertheless  look  upon  them  as  governed  by  the  same 
passions  as  those  which  govern  men.  They  punish  sin,  indeed,  but  it  is  not 
because  they  hate  it,  but  because  it  is  needful  to  uphold  their  authority  ; 
and  it  is  as  easy  to  induce  them  to  wink  at  it,  as  it  is  to  bribe  the  civil 
magistrates  to  overlook  a crime  against  the  state. 

Their  views  of  the  holiness  of  the  gods  are  such  that  pirates  and  rob- 
bers invoke  their  protection  in  prosecuting  their  nefarious  work,  with  as 
much  assurance  as  the  peaceful  farmer  prays  for  the  rain  of  heaven  and 
for  fruitful  seasons. 

Their  estimate  of  the  character  of  God  is  derived  from  their  conceptions 
of  the  nature  of  sin.  They  seem  to  have  no  idea  of  the  enormity  or  the 
turpitude  of  sin.  They  look  upon  it  not  as  terminating  on  God,  but  on 
their  fellow  man.  They  overlook  the  fact  that  it  proceeds  from,  and  has  its 
seat  in  the  heartx  and  rather  regard  it  as  a mere  attribute  of  an  external 
act.  It  is  in  fact  little  more  than  a mere  violation  of  the  rules  of  polite- 
ness, or  of  the  laws  of  etiquette.  Indeed,  the  word  they  use  for  sin  is  the 
same  that  is  employed  to  denote  a transgression  of  the  rules  of  good  man- 
ners. 

With  such  views  of  sin,  they  can  have  no  idea  of  an  atonement,  in  any 
proper  sense  of  the  word.  Their  offerings  may  indeed  be  considered  as 
embodying  an  obscure  adumbration  of  the  great  truth  of  the  necessity  of 
atonement,  since  they  are  designed  to  procure  the  favour  of  the  gods.  Yet 
they  cannot  be  said  to  be  intended  as  an  expiation  for  sin.  They  are 
rather  presents  or  bribes  intended  to  flatter  the  pride  of  the  offended  god, 
and  thus  secure  his  favour. 

It  is  plain  that,  holding  such  views  of  sin,  they  have  misapprehended 
entirely  the  nature  of  our  relation  to  God.  He  is  not,  to  them,  the  great 


8 


THE  RELIGIOUS  CONDITION  OF  THE  CHINESE, 


All  in  All,  in  whom  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being.  The  relation 
between  God  and  man  is  not  that  of  the  creature  to  the  Creator,  but  only 
of  the  governed  to  the  governor. 

They  have,  as  the  necessary  result  of  their  views  of  the  Deity,  mistaken 
the  nature  of  religious  worship.  It  is  not  a communion  with  the  Deity. 
It  is  not  the  homage  of  the  heart.  It  is  but  an  outward  act  : a prostra- 
tion of  the  body  : a movement  of  the  lips  : a burning  of  incense  ; or  a 
presentation  of  offerings.  As  they  have  no  conception  of  a spiritual 
worship,  they  lilways  connect  it  with  some  outward  symbol  of  the  Deity — - 
whether  an  image  made  with  hands,  or  some  of  the  works  of  nature. 

To  understand  their  mode  of  worship,  we  should  witness  it.  Let  us 
transport  ourselves  in  imagination,  then,  to  one  of  their  temples.  It  is  the 
birth-day,  perhaps,  of  one  of  their  gods — of  Shangti,  the  Euler  on  High  ; it 
may  be  of  the  God  of  Thunder.  Passing  through  the  great  gate  of  the 
temple  court,  the  scene  which  presents  itself  is  that  of  a busy  fair.  There 
is  the  vender  of  hot  viands,  with  his  portable  kitchen  ; the  strolling  peddler, 
and  the  ragged  beggar.  A crowd  has  gathered  around  a table  at  which 
several  priests  are  seated  with  their  writing  materials.  They  are  busily 
engaged  in  filling  up  the  printed  prayers  required  by  the  worshippers,  who 
eagerly  purchase  them.  Let  us  follow  one  of  those  purchasers  of  prayers. 
It  is  a poor  woman,  perhaps,  in  coarse  apparel,  whose  gray  hairs  and  tot- 
tering step  indicate  the  approach  of  old  age.  She  has  traveled  some 
weary  miles  to-day — weary  to  her,  for  her  tottering  limbs  and  cramped 
feet  have  compelled  her  to  a creeping  gait  and  mincing  step.  And  now  she 
turns  to  the  vender  of  incense  sticks  (small  rolls  of  the  dust  of  sandal- 
wTood),  and  then  proceeds  to  another  stand  to  supply  herself  with  the 
necessary  candles.  The  sale  of  these  articles  brings  in  a handsome  rev- 
enue to  the  priests. 

Now  enter  the  great  hall  of  the  temple.  The  worshippers  are  chiefly 
women.  They  are  seated  on  low  benches,  each  with  a mat  before  her,  on 
which  is  laid  her  printed  prayer.  Some  are  singing  over  the  prayers  which, 
with  great  labour,  and  without  understanding  a word,  they  have  commit- 
ted to  memory.  Others  are  simply  repeating  the  name  of  the  idol,  and 
counting  their  beads.  Buddha  is  the  favourite  idol,  and  often  these  poor 
women  sing  over  his  name  for  hours  together,  repeating  continually  the 
words,  Nan-mo-O-mi-to-fuh — Nan-mo-O-mi-to-fuh.  As  our  worshipper  enters 
the  temple  she  lights  her  candles  and  her  incense  sticks,  and  then,  after 
many  prostrations,  during  which  she  waves  them  in  her  hands  before  the 
idol,  has  them  placed  upon  the  altar.  She  then  takes  her  place  on  the 
seats  to  con  over  her  prayers  like  the  rest. 

Besides  these  special  occasions,  worship  is  performed  by  the  more  devout 
on  the  first  and  fifteenth  days  of  each  month.  The  priests,  however,  main- 


AND  THEIR  CLAIMS  ON  THE  CHURCH. 


9 


tain  a daily  round  of  services.  At  early  dawn,  in  the  forenoon,  in  the 
evening,  and  at  night,  the  sound  of  their  noisy  devotions  may  be  heard. 
Look  at  them.  There  stand  twelve  or  fifteen  priests  in  line  before  colossal 
images  of  the  three  precious  Buddhas.  The  smoke  of  incense  rises  from 
the  altar.  The  prayers  are  chanted  in  a measure  now  fast,  now  slow  ; one 
of  the  priests  beating  time  upon  a drum,  another  upon  a hollow  piece  of 
wood  ; while  a third,  with  a little  bell,  gives  notice  of  the  various  move- 
ments called  for.  Now  they  kneel  and  strike  their  foreheads  upon  the 
pavement  ; now  they  face  this  way,  now  that  ; now  they  march  in  proces- 
sion, and  again  they  return  to  their  places  and  stand  still.  In  the  midst 
of  the  service  you  may  sometimes  see  the  foolish  jest  and  silly  laugh  pass 
round.  Such  is  their  religious  worship. 

But  with  all  its  heartlessness  there  is  a deep  significance  in  that  wor- 
ship. It  is  not  all  a mere  mockery.  No.  It  is  the  utterance  of  the  innate 
yearning  of  the  human  heart  for  that  which  shall  satisfy  the  desires  of  the 
immortal  spirit.  Think  you  those  crowds  of  poor  women  squander  their 
money,  and  waste  their  strength  in  muttering  unmeaning  prayers  without 
an  object  ? Assuredly  not.  They  are  in  earnest.  They  believe  that  the 
highest  good  is  to  be  thus  attained.  It  is  a mistake  to  suppose  that 
these  people  are  all  wholly  indifferent  to  their  religious  interests.  Their 
many  religious  services,  and  the  large  expenditure  of  their  scanty  means 
in  maintaining  them,  prove  that  they  are  not.  There  is  a deep  conscious- 
ness of  a want  which  they  know  not  how  to  supply.  They  often  express 
a desire  to  become  disciples  of  Jesus.  They  are  so  much  in  doubt  as  to 
the  efficacy  of  their  dwn  religious  worship,  and  find  it  in  their  own  experi- 
ence so  unsatisfactory,  that  they  would  fain  join  with  it  the  worship  of 
Jesus,  and  then  if,  at  last,  Buddha  should  fail  them,  Christ,  perhaps,  may 
help  them.  But  few,  alas,  are  willing  to  abandon  Buddha  altogether  and 
trust  in  Jesus  alone.  They  will  repeat  any  prayers,  or  observe  any  fasts 
for  Christ,  but  they  cannot  give  up  thfeir  idols. 

I repeat  it,  then,  there  is  a vast  significance  in  this  idolatrous  worship. 
It  is  the  voice  of  a mighty  nation  sounding  in  our  ears  the  Macedonian 
cry,  “ Come  over  and  help  us.”  It  is  the  cry  of  distress  from  a countless 
host  entreating  us  to  show  them  whither  they  may  flee  from  the  wrath  to 
come.  It  is  the  earnest  entreaty  of  the  terrified  mauslayer  fleeing  from 
the  avenger  of  blood,  begging  us  to  point  out  the  way  to  the  city  of 
refuge.  Shall  we  turn  a deaf  ear  to  their  petition  ? It  were  a crime 
against  humanity. 

Let  us  now  consider  briefly  their  views  of  the  nature  of  man’s  position  in 
this  world,  and  his  destiny  in  the  world  to  come.  Whence  came  we  ? 
Whither  do  we  go  ? These  are  questions  which  they  cannot  answer.  They 
hold,  however,  almost  universally,  to  the  doctrine  of  transmigration.  Here, 


10 


THE  KELIGIOUS  CONDITION  OF  THE  CHINESE, 


in  this  world,  we  are  merely  passing  through  one  of  an  infinite  number  of 
stages  of  existence,  both  past  and  future.  This  life  is,  in  a certain  sense, 
a state  of  probation  ; but  it  is  to  be  followed  by  another.  Hell  itself  is  but 
a place  of  temporary  abode,  from  which  the  soul  is  to  be  sent  forth  in  the 
form  of  some  inferior  animal,  perhaps  to  regain  in  time  a position  as  man. 
Possibly  at  length  even  the  heavenly  happiness  may  be  attained  when 
crimes  have  been  expiated  by  suffering,  and  a store  of  merit  acquired  by 
virtuous  living. 

In  their  crude  conceptions,  however,  they  suppose  the  soul  after  death 
to  be  exposed  to  the  trials,  and  subject  to  the  wants  incident  to  the  present 
life.  It  is  this  idea  probably  that  has  given  rise  to  one  of  the  distinguish- 
ing characteristics  of  the  religion  of  the  Chinese — the  worship  of  ancestors. 
This  worship  is  not  only  the  proper  mode  of  manifesting  that  filial  rever- 
ence which  is  due  to  the  deceased  parent,  but  is  necessary,  also,  because 
the  wants  of  the  departed  spirit  must  be  provided  for. 

In  the  performance  of  these  ancestral  services,  sacrifices,  consisting  of 
food  of  various  kinds,  are  placed  upon  a table  before  the  tablet  or  the 
tomb  of  the  deceased,  together  with  burning  candles  and. incense.  The 
worshippers  then  bow  down  before  it  in  the  same  manner  as  in  the  worship 
of  idols.  The  viands  thus  offered  furnish  a feast  for  the  family  and  friends. 
Articles  of  clothing,  neatly  made  of  colored  paper,  together  with  furniture, 
sedan  chairs,  and  servants,  all  of  the  same  material,  are  transmitted  to  the 
spiritual  world  by  burning  them. 

It  is  important  for  the  repose  of  the  dead  that  they  have  a coffin  and  a 
tomb  that  will  command  respect,  and  secure  the  favorable  effect  of  fortu- 
nate influences.  Those  who  have  the  means,  therefore,  make  large  ex- 
penditures in  the  burial  of  their  dead.  Sometimes  the  wealthy,  not  content 
with  the  ordinary  allowance  of  the  common  herd  of  humanity,  appropriate 
for  a single  tomb  land  enough  for  the  site  of  a large  house. 

Near  Ningpo  there  are  some  such  tombs,  dating  back  two  or  three  hun- 
dred years.  A large  mound  of  earth,  faced  in  front  with  a stone  wall,  con- 
stitutes the  tomb.  It  is  approached  through  a long  avenue  paved  with 
stone.  On  either  side  of  this  avenue  are  stone  figures  of  the  size  of  life. 
First  a pair  of  rams,  then  of  horses  saddled  and  bridled,  and  next  the  tomb, 
two  priests  of  immense  stature,  standing  with  clasped  hands  and  downcast 
eyes,  as  if  in  prayer.  There  they  have  stood — silent  watchers  of  the  dead — 
while  many  generations  have  lived,  and  played  their  part,  and  passed 
away. 

These  views  of  the  state  of  the  dead  give  rise  to  many  superstitions.  The 
Chinese  ever  lives  in  apprehension  of  evil  spirits.  When  misfortunes  come 
upon  him,  he  attributes  them  to  these  invisible  powers,  and  is  puzzled  with 
the  inquiry  how  their  schemes*  of  evil  may  be  thwarted.  Necromancers, 


AND  THEIR  CLAIMS  ON  TIIE  CHURCH. 


11 


soothsayers  and  diviners  are  consulted  ; and  charms,  amulets  and  incanta- 
tions are  called  into  requisition. 

The  cause  of  his  calamities  may  be  found  in  the  position  of  a tomb,  or  the 
situation  of  a well,  or  it  may  be  in  some  slight  unevenness  in  a door-sill, 
the  position  of  a window,  or  the  aspect  of  the  household  shrine.  Thus 
whole  families  are  often  kept  in  alarm,  and  whole  communities  thrown  into 
a state  of  excitement,  through  fear  of  terrible  consequences  from  some  of 
the  numerous  trifles  on  which  their  welfare  is  supposed  to  depend. 

Not  only  is  the  Chinese  in  fear  of  the  intelligences  of  the  spiritual  world  ; 
evil  influences  are  also  connected  with  the  inanimate  creation.  The  stars 
control  the  destinies  of  men.  Certain  mysterious  influences  are  peculiar  to 
the  several  quarters  of  the  heavens — to  the  various  seasons  of  the  year,  and 
the  different  hours  of  the  day. 

How  is  he  to  protect  himself  from  these  complicated  sources  of  evil  ? 
Whither  shall  he  flee  for  safety  ? He.  knows  not.  Refuge  fails  him.  The 
gods  may  be  unwilling,  perhaps  unable,  to  control  these  things.  His  trust 
is  only  in  the  power  of  cabalistic  letters,  or  unintelligible  sentences,  or 
frightful  images  of  he  knows  not  what. 

How  degrading  must  be  fhe  effect  of  these  vain  superstitions  ! The  mind 
is  held  in  the  most  debasing  bondage  by  these  groveling  views  of  all  that 
relates  to  the  life  of  man.  What  is  there  to  give  high  and  ennobling  ideas 
where  the  deity  is  at  best  but  a man  of  like  passions  with  ourselves  ; and 
where  the  rational  intelligent  man  of  to-day  may  to-morrow  be  one  of.  the 
beasts  that  perish  ? 

It  is  not  strange  that  with  such  views  of  the  character  of  God  and  of  the 
nature  of  man,  these  deluded  victims  of  error  should  be  governed  by  the 
very  lowest  views  of  the  obligations  of  morality.  We  should  expect  that, 
among  such  a people,  human  life  would  be  held  well  nigh  as  cheap  as  that 
of  the  brute  ; and  so  in  fact  it  is.  The  starving  beggar  is  spurned  from 
the  door  and  left  to  die  like  a dog  in  the  street.  No  public  charity — no 
private  sympathy  can  be  found  to  extend  a helping  hand  to  relieve  him 
from  his  want  until  death  has  done  its  work,  and  their,  for  self-protection, 
his  carcass  must  be  buried  out  of  sight.  Often  have  I seen  a poor,  wretched, 
friendless  man,  lying  by  the  way  side,  or  at  the  entrance  of  some  costly 
temple,  on  the  cold,  wet  stones  of  the  pavement,  in  a state  of  nudity,  and 
wasted  to  a mere  skeleton  by  disease,,  gasping  away  his  life  under  the 
very  feet  of  the  busy  multitudes  who  were  hurrying  on  in  the  pursuit  of 
business.  All  pass  on,  however,  without  deigning  to  look  upon  the  miserable 
object  before  them'  in  the  very  act  of  passing  away  from  the  world. 

Deliberate  and  cold-blooded  murders,  except  by  robber  bands,  and  ex- 
cepting also  cases  of  infanticide,  are  perhaps  not  more  frequent  in  propor- 
tion to  the  population,  than  in  our  own  country  • but  self-murder,  in  every 


12  THE  RELIGIOUS  CONDITION  OF  THE  CHINESE, 

large  Chinese  community,  is  almost  an  every  day  occurrence.  Then  look  at 
the  horrid,  barbarous  executions,  official  murders,  which  have  recently  taken 
place  under  the  authority  of  the  civil  magistrates  at  Canton,  where,  it  is 
said,  not  less  than  seventy  thousand  persons  fell  under  the  sword  of  the 
headsman  in  the  course  of  a few  months. 

Nor  is  it  to  be  expected  that  the  standard  of  morality  can  be  elevated  • 
higher  than  their  views  of  the  nature  of  sin.  Falsehood  is  not  even  looked 
upon  as  a crime  ; and  there  are  none  so  high  in  position  that  they  will  not 
resort  to  it,  when  it  suits  their  purposes  better  than  truth — none  who  would 
blush  to  be  convicted  of  it — none  who  would  hesitate  to  acknowledge 
themselves  ready  to  make  use  of  it  for  the  promotion  of  their  own  in- 
terests. 

Among  the  Chinese  there  are,  perhaps,  more  guards  to  female  virtue 
than  in  any  other  heathen  land,  and  yet  crimes  which,  in  a Christian  land, 
would  outrage  the  whole  community,  are  there  passed  by  without  rebuke. 
The  young  daughter  is  the  slave  of  her  father,  or  even  of  an  elder  brother, 
and  may  be  sold  into  the  most  degrading  of  all  bondages,  without  any 
hope  of  redress  ; even  the  wife  is  sometimes  thus  disposed  of,  and  in  either 
case  the  foul  deed  is  tolerated,  though  not,  indeed,  approved  by  the  public 
sentiment. 

But  enough  of  these  gloomy  details.  It  is  time  to  glance  at  the  efforts 
which  have  been  made  to  bring  about  the  accomplishment  of  the  prophecy 
we  are  considering.  In  this  part  of  our  subject  we  must  be  content  with 
a few  general  facts.  Time  does  not  permit  me  to  enter  at  all  into  the  his- 
tory of  our  missionary  operations  ; nor  is  it  necessary.  All  that  can  be 
done  is  to  state  some  facts  which  demonstrate  that  the  blessing  of  God  has 
rested  upon  the  labors  of  his  servants  in  this  land  ; and  that  we  here  see 
opening  before  us  prospects  of  the  most  triumphant  success. 

It  was  in  the  year  1807  that  Robert  Morrison  commenced  the  first  of  the 
modern  Protestant  missions  to  the  Chinese  ; but  he  and  those  who  subse- 
quently joined  him  were  much  restricted,  and  it  was  not  until  the  treaty  of 
Nanking  threw  open  the  five  cities  to  foreign  commerce  that  the  present 
missionary  operations  of  the  Church  may  be  said  to  have  commenced. 
These  cities  have  now  all  been  occupied,  and  at  the  present  time  the  num- 
ber of  missionaries  is  about  one  hundred.  About  two  hundred  in  all  have 
been  sent  out,  under  the  patronage  of  twenty-one  Missionary  Societies. 
That  their  labors  have  been  crowned  with  success  appears  in  the  fact,  that 
already — but  little  more  than  twelve  years  since  the  actual  occupation  of 
the  stations  thrown  open  by  the  treaties  of  1842  and  1844 — already  about 
one  thousand  persons  have  been  received  into  the  communion  of  the 
churches  established  by  the  missionaries  of  the  various  Evangelical  de- 
nominations by  whom  the  field  has  been  occupied. 


AND  THEIR  CLAIMS  ON  THE  CHURCH. 


13 


In  estimating  the  success  of  this  work,  the  difficulties  with  which  we 
have  had  to  contend  must  not  be  overlooked.  We  are  obliged  to  speak  in 
a language  presenting  greater  difficulties  to  accurate  acquisition  than  any 
other  on  earth.  This  much  is  true,  although  those  difficulties,  so  far  at 
least  as  regards  the  spoken  language,  have  been  greatly  exaggerated. 
We  have  not  only  to  speak  with  stammering  lips  in  a difficult  language, 
but  we  speak  to  a people  notoriously  callous  to  religious  considerations, 
absorbed  in  the  affairs  of  this  life,  and  devoted  to  the  worship  of  mammon. 
We  speak  to  them  of  the  mysteries  beyond  the  grave.  The  too  common 
reply  is,  “ We  have  not  time  to  attend  sufficiently  to  the -necessary  busi- 
ness of  this  world  : how  can  we  look  after  the  affairs  of  the  world  to 
come  ? ” 

We  speak  of  things  that  are  entirely  new  to  them.  The  doctrine  of  the 
atonement  ; of  faith  and  repentance  ; salvation  by  grace,  without  money 
and  without  price  ; of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  and  eternal  judgment  ; 
of  the  glorious  Trinity  and  the  union  of  the  divine  and  human  natures  in 
the  person  of  Christ.  Could  it  be  expected  that  these  mysterious  doctrines 
would  be  eagerly  adopted  and  readily  understood  by  a people  whose  whole 
education  and  habits  of  thought  are  antagonistic  to  them  ? Could  we  speak 
their  strange  tongue  with  the  most  perfect  accuracy,  the  words  we  must 
use,  in  presenting  before  their  minds  these  indispensable  truths,  must 
necessarily  for  a time  be  unintelligible  to  them.  We  must  give  them  line 
upon  line,  precept  upon  precept  ; and  years  must  elapse  before  our  public 
discourses  can  be  thorough^  understood  by  any  great  number  of  those 
hearers  who  are  not  regular  attendants. 

Could  you  look  in  upon  the  audiences  which  usually  make  up  the  con- 
gregations assembled  in  our  churches  you  would  be  better  able  to  appre- 
ciate the  difficulty  arising  from  this  source.  The  doors  of  the  church  are 
thrown  open  at  the  appointed  hour,  but  there  is  no  congregation  whose 
well-known  faces  always  greet  the  preacher,  each  in  the  appropriate  seat, 
and  who  have  often  cheered  him  by  their  intelligent  attention  while  he  has 
been  unfolding  some  great  doctrine  of  the  word  of  God.  There  is  as  yet 
nothing  of  the  kind,  except  where  the  schools  and  church-members  are 
assembled.  Each  separate  service  has  its  audience  collected  at  the  mo- 
ment for  that  occasion  alone.  It  is  not  a feast  spread  for  the  invited 
guests,  but  one  like  that  of  which  the  guests  are  gathered  from  the  high- 
ways and  hedges,  among  whom  are  numbered  the  poor,  and  the  maimed, 
and  the  halt,  and  the  blind.  The  audience  is  gathered  in  great  measure 
from  among  those  who  at  the  time  chance  to  be  passing  on  the  street. 
The  huckster  ceases  his  cry  and  enters  with  his  load.  The  peddler  puts  up 
his  bell  and  walks  up  the  aisle  with  his  pack  upon  his  back.  The  passing 
porter,  attracted  by  the  sound  of  the  preacher’s  voice,  walks  in  with  his 


14 


THE  RELIGIOUS  CONDITION  OF  THE  CHINESE. 


ropes  and  bamboo  pole;  and  is  followed,  it  may  be,  by  the  wealthy  mer- 
chant in  his  silken  robes;  or  the  tradesman  who  turns  aside  for  a little  time 
from  his  business.  Some  soon  grow  weary  and  retire;  though  the  mass 
are  polite  enough  to  remain  to  the  end  of  the  discourse.  In  almost  every 
sermon  the  preacher  is  burdened  and  oppressed  with  the  thought  that  some, 
and  probably  many,  listen  to  his  -words  who  have  never  before  heard  the 
word  of  our  salvation  preached,  and  who  in  all  probability  may  never 
trouble  themselves  to  hear  it  again.  As  we  look  upon  such  an  audience, 
and  feel  that  with  some  it  is  the  first  and  the  last  time  they  may  hear  of 
salvation  by  Christ— that  many  of  those  who  listen  with  respectful  atten- 
tion to  our  broken  language,  will  never  meet  us  again  until  they  meet  us 
at  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ,  to  render  an  account  of  that  one  sermon 
of  their  lives,  ought  we  not  indeed  to  be  oppressed  with  the  weight  of  re- 
sponsibility thus  thrown  upon  the  hour,  and  to  be  deeply  sensible  of  the 
absolute  necessity  of  the  Spirit’s  miraculous  influence  to  make  the  word 
effectual  to  their  conversion — or  even  to  bring  them  back  again  to  inquire 
more  particularly  concerning  these  to  them  strange  doctrines  ? Could  you 
witness  such  a scene  you  would  understand  why  it  is  that  the  missionary 
is  importunate  in  begging  your  prayers  in  behalf  of  his  labors. 

Such  are  some  of  the  difficulties  which  as  yet  meet  us  in  our  work. 
Yet  so  great  has  been  our  success  that  already  our  churches  number,  as  I 
have  said,  a thousand  members.  In  Ningpo  we  began  our  mission  less 
than  thirteen  years  ago,  among  a people  of  whose  language  we  understood 
not  a word,  and  who  were  utterly  ignorant  of  us  and  our  religion,  and 
now  in  connection  with  that  mission  there  are  about  forty  native  church 
members. 

Our  success,  however,  must  not  be  estimated  by  the  number  of  converts 
alone.  It  must  be  remembered  that  much  has  been  done  in  the  way  of 
preparation  for  more  efficient  labor.  Schools  have  been  established; 
tracts  have  been  prepared,  printing  presses  have  been  put  in  operation 
from  which  many  millions  of  pages  of  Christian  books  have  been  sent  forth; 
churches  have  been  built;  and  above  all,  the  Bible  has  been  translated, 
imperfectly  indeed,  but  with  an  accuracy  sufficient  to  enable  its  readers  to 
learn  from  it  the  way  of  salvation. 

We  must  not  conclude  this  part  of  our  subject  without  a brief  reference 
to  that  wonderful  revolution  which  has  been  so  long  in  progress,  and  which 
threatens  the  overthrow  of  the  reigning  dynasty  which  has  ruled  the  des- 
tinies of  the  empire  for  more  than  two  hundred  years.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  recapitulate  the  history  of  its  rise.  I shall  but  notice  the  character  of 
the  remarkable  religious  element  connected  with  it.  Whatever  opinion 
we  may  form  of  the  character  of  the  men  who  lead  this  great  movement, 
a consideration  of  all  the  facts  connected  with  it  can  hardly  fail  to  con- 


AND  THEIR  CLAIMS  ON  THE  CHURCH. 


15 


vince  us  that  it  is  designed  in  providence,  as  it  is  in  its  nature  calculated, 
to  prepare  the  way  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  among  the  people.  It  is 
a fact  which  cannot  be  controverted  that  these  men  have  made  an  immense 
step  in  advance  of  the  paganism  of  their  countrymen.  The  idols  they 
have  utterly  abolished.  Wherever  they  go  the  idol  temples  are  destroyed, 
and  the  gods  are  scattered  in  broken  fragments  among  their  ruins.  They 
abhor  idolatry  in  every  form.  They  bow  not  down  to  the  sun  or  the  stars, 
and  even  that  form  of  idolatry  once  so  stoutly  defended  by  the  Romish 
missionaries,  the  worship  of  ancestors,  they  have  discarded.  Not  only 
idolatry,  but  all  the  vain  superstitions  of  their  countrymen,  all  the  absurd 
notions  in  regard  to  the  influence  of  the  stars,  the  power  of  evil  spirits, 
and  the  condition  of  the  dead,  together  with  the  system  of  lucky  and  un- 
lucky days  promulgated  annually,  as  it  has  been  for  ages,  in  the  Imperial 
Almanac — all  these  they  have  scattered  to  the  winds. 

Again,  it  is  an  immense  step  in  advance  of  Mohammedism.  They  not 
only  denounce  idolatry  and  proclaim  the  great  doctrine  of  the  unity  of 
God,  but  they  also  teach  the  cardinal  doctrines  of  Christianity.  The  doc- 
trines of  the  Trinity — the  depravity  of  man  and  the  necessity  of  regenera- 
tion by  the  renewing  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit — salvation  by  grace 
through  faith  in  Christ,  and  reliance  on  his  atoning  sacrifice,  are  all  set 
forth  in  their  books.  The  chiefs  do  indeed  profess  to  have  special  commu- 
nications from  heaven,  but  the  revelations  received  have  respect  rather  to 
military  operations  than  to  religious  doctrines.  They  have  never  had  any 
such  views  of  their  chiefs  as  the  followers  of  the  false  prophet  had  of  him  ; 
and  they  have  never  issued  any  revelation  as  the  rival  of  the  word  of  God. 

But  it  is  also  a step  in  advance  of  Romanism.  They  set  up  no  idols. 
They  worship  no  dead  men,  nor  dead  men’s  bones.  They  believe  in  no 
purgatory,  nor  in  self-torture  for  sin.  Above  all,  they  print  the  Bible — the 
unadulterated  word  of  God  as  it  has  been  given  to  them  by  a Protestant 
missionary,  without  comment,  and  as  we  believe,  without  alteration.  They 
not  only  allow,  but  require  their  people  to  make  themselves  acquainted  with 
its  teachings.  It  is  said,  I believe  on  good  authority,  that  they  have  even 
gone  so  far  as  to  substitute  the  Bible  for  their  own  ancient  classics  in  their 
examinations  of  candidates  for  literary  degrees.  It  is  certain  that  they 
require  in  all  their  officers  some  knowledge  of  the  word  of  God — or  of 
some  portions  of  it. 

Besides  all  this,  they  adopt  the  ten  commandments  as  the  basis  of  their 
moral  system,  observe  a weekly  day  of  rest,  collect  the  people  together  to 
hear  religious  doctrines  explained,  and  rigidly  enforce  the  due  observance 
of  some  of  the  maxims  of  morality  which  most  seriously  affect  the  public 
welfare,  severely  punishing  licentiousness,  gambling,  intemperance  and 
opium  smoking. 


16 


THE  RELIGIOUS  CONDITION  OF  THE  CHINESE, 


They  have  also  written  and  published  various  religious  tracts,  which, 
along  with  some  serious  errors,  set  forth  much  important  truth;  and  set  it 
forth  in  a manner  in  which  it  can  be  apprehended  by  the  inquiring  sinner. 
And  who  shall  say  there  are  no  anxious  souls,  no  awakened-  consciences, 
among  all  those  thousands  before  whom  the  truth  has  been  so  clearly  placed 
for  so  many  years  ? 

And  now  shall  we  set  all  these  facts  aside  and  denounce  these  men  as 
impostors,  just  because  they  hold  some  errors  and  are  not  perfectly  up- 
right in  all  their  conduct  ? Impostors,  printing  and  distributing  the  Bible  ! 
With  all  the  fanaticism  of  these  men,  and  all  the  errors  into  which  they 
have  fallen,  this  fact  alone  must  lead  the  lovers  of  the  Bible  to  bid  them 
God-speed. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  defend  the  conduct  of  these  men,  or  to  excuse  the 
blasphemous  titles  one  or  two  of  them  have  assumed.  Some  of  the  leaders, 
and  perhaps  all  of  them,  are  more  anxious,  it  may  be,  to  establish  their 
'own  authority,  and  promote  their  own  selfish  ends,  than  to  further  the  in- 
terests of  true  religion.  They  may  all  be  wicked  men.  I know  not.  But 
the  doctrines  they  promulgate  are  in  the  main  the  doctrines  of  Christianity, 
though  strongly  tinctured  with  fanaticism.  I firmly  believe,  too,  that  they 
are  convinced  of  the  truth  of  those  doctrines;  and  that  the  movement 
originated  in  a sincere  desire,  on  the  part  at  least  of  its  prime  mover  and 
its  chief,  to  propagate  truth  in  opposition  to  the  long  cherished  errors  handed 
down  from  antiquity. 

As  a political  movement  this  rebellion  may  be  crushed,  and  the  throne  of 
the  Manchus  may  yet  be  bolstered  up  for  a season.  If  it  be  true,  as  there 
seems  good  reason  to  believe,  that  in  the  closing  months  of  the  year  1856, 
thirty  thousand  persons  of  one  of  the  factions  which  have  begun  to  divide 
the  rebel  camp,  were  cruelly  put  to  death  in  cold  blood,  without  respect  to 
age  or  sex,  it  is  an  indication  that  the  movement  will  fail.  This  occurred, 
if  our  information  may  be  relied  on,  under  the  following  circumstances. 
The  Eastern  King,  Yang  Siutsing,  conspired  against  the  life  of  Tai-ping- 
wang,  the  Rebel  Emperor,  with  a view  to  usurp  his  place.  Information 
of  his  plans  was  communicated  to  the  Emperor.  In  order  to  defeat  those 
plans,  Tai-ping-wang  secretly  ordered  the  speedy  return  to  Nanking  of  the 
Assistant  King  with  his  army,  then  engaged  in  a distant  expedition.  This 
army  on  reaching  Nanking  surrounded  the  palace  of  the  Eastern  King,  and 
put  him  and  his  followers  to  death.  The  massacre  was  continued  from 
time  to  time  until. all  his  adherents  were  put  out  of  the  way.  The  number 
mentioned  is  perhaps  an  .exaggeration,  but  the  main  facts  are  probably  cor- 
rectly given.  The  Eastern  King  had  long  acted  as  prime  minister  for  his 
chief,  and  his  influence  in  the  movement  seems  latterly  to  have  entirely 
overshadowed  that  of  Tai-ping-wang  himself.  To  him  undoubtedly  we  must 


AND  THEIR  CL'AIMS  ON  THE  CHURCH. 


17 


attribute  much  of  that  conduct,  in  the  progress  of  the  movement,  which  is 
most  objectionable.  It  is  a question  of  great  interest,  what  effect  his  death 
will  have  upon  the  future  history  of  the  insurrection.  Yet  in  any  event 
the  word  of  God  will  remain.  Its  teachings  have  been  made  known ; and 
the  seed  so  widely  scattered  will  bring  forth  fruit  in  due  time.  It  will  ac- 
complish that  whereunto  it  has  been  sent.  We  must  discern  in  this  move- 
ment, in  spite  of  all  its  errors,  the  finger  of  God.  It  is  one  of  the  modes 
by  which  the  Lord  is  going  before  us  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  glorious 
triumph  of  the  Gospel  among  these  perishing  millions  of  human  souls. 

I have  thus  endeavored  to  place  before  you  a view,  though  necessarily  very 
brief  and  very  imperfect,  of  the  religious  condition  of  the  millions  of  that 
vast  empire  which  embraces  within  its  bosom  one  third  of  the  human  fami- 
ly. We  have  looked  upon  the  poor  blind  Chinese  endeavoring  to  unravel 
the  dark  mysteries  of  life  and  death.  He  seeks  to  penetrate  the  hidden 
depths  of  his  own  incomprehensible  being,  and  listens  to  the  strange  whis- 
perings which  faintly  strike  his  ear  from  the  inner  recesses  of  his  soul,  or 
earnestly  scans  the  ill-defined  and  shapeless  forms  of  truth  which  darkly 
loom  up  from  the  midst  of  the  gloomy  clouds  of  error  which  envelope  him. 
He  is  sure  that  something  affecting  the  very  vitals  of  his  existence,  of 
which  he  is  still  ignorant,  lies  there  concealed.  But  the  forms  he  sees 
olude  his  grasp,  or  assume  some  shape  of  terror  which  serves  but  to  fill 
his  heart  with  fear.  His  feet  still  stumble  upon  the  dark  mountains. 
He  walks  through  the  pathway  of  life  as  Bunyan’s  pilgrim  walked  through 
■the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.  He  is  ever  surrounded  by  horrid  sights 
and  unearthly  sounds.  Grim-visaged  monsters  beset  his  path.  Hideous 
.shapes  and  terrible  hobgoblins  blear  upon  him  through  the  darkness. 
'There  is  no  escape.  He  turns  to  his  idols.  He  calls  upon  Heaven  and 
Earth.  He  implores  help  from  ancient  heroes.  He  invokes  the  aid  of  dead 
ancestors.  .It  is  all  in  vain.  He  finds  no  peace  to  his  troubled  spirit;  and 
at  last  he  must  go  down  to  the  grave  without  hope,  and  must  make  his 
abode  in  that  outer  darkness  where  are  weeping  and  wailing  and  gnashing 
•of  teeth. 

Is  there  nothing  in  his  case  to  move  your  heart  to  sympathy  ? The  holy 
angels  are  not  unmoved  by  it.  The  Lord  Jesus  cannot  look  with  indiffer- 
ence upon  such  a spectacle.  Can  you,  then,  be  indifferent  to  the  spiritual 
and  eternal  welfare  of  four  hundred  millions  of  your  fellow  men  ? Surely 
no  Christian  can  be,  for  if  any  man  have  not  the  spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none 
of  his. 

What,  then,  are  you  willing  to  do  for  them  ? You  cannot  deliver  them, 
hut  you.  cart  place  within  their  reach  the  means  of  deliverance.  This  much 
God  has  put  in  your  power,  and  if  you  will  not  do  it,  it  will  not  be  done  at 
-all  until  millions  more  have  passed  beyond  the  reach  of  hope.  Will  you, 


18 


THE  KELIGIOUS  CONDITION  OF  THE  CHINESE, 


dare  you,  refuse  to  come  to  their  aid  ? Can  you  laugh  at  the  calamity  of 
your  fellow-man,  and  fold  your  hands  and  take  your  ease,  while  millions, 
and  hundreds  of  millions,  are  calling  upon  you  for  help  ? Shall  they  be- 
left  to  perish  ? Away  with  such  a thought.  It  is  worthy  only  of  a fiend. 

No  more  can  you  set  aside  the  claims  of  Christ.  The  claims  of  a common 
humanity  must  impel  us  to  go  to  the  help  of  the  heathen;  but  we  must  not 
forget  that  what  we  do  for  the  heathen,  we  do  not  so  much  for  them  as  for 
our  Lord.  His  right  it  is  to  reign.  He  is  entitled  to  the  homage  of  every 
human  heart.  His  kingdom  must  be  established  among  all  nations.  Are 
you  then  a citizen  of  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  a loyal  subject  of  the 
kingdom  of  Immanuel,  and  yet  take  no  interest  in  the  prosperity  of  this: 
glorious  kingdom  ? 

Are  you  equally  indifferent  to  the  passing  political  questions  of  the  day  ? 
Look  back  a few  months,  and  recall  the  scenes  of  the  political  contest 
through  which  our  country  was  then  passing.  How  eagerly  were  the  con- 
tents of  the  political  journals  devoured  by  thousands  ! The  periodicals 
which  tell  us  of  what  God  is  doing  to  build  up  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
among  the  nations  are  treated  as  comparatively  worthless.  There  is 
nothing  startling  in  them  ; for  the  work  goes  forward  quietly,  without 
noise  or  tumult.  They  were  not  printed  to-day,  and  do  not  give  us  the 
news  of  yesterday,  and  therefore,  forsooth,  they  are  dull  and  uninterest- 
ing ! 

How  eagerly,  too,  during  that  period  of  excitement,  did  the  people  as- 
semble to  hear  political  harangues  ! In  open  field,  in  shady  grove,  in 
crowded  hall,  in  the  village  street,  or  the  country  school-house — under  the 
bright  noon-day  sun,  in  the  damp,  dark  shadows  of  night  ; by  moonlight, 
by  torchlight,  by  gaslight,  or  without  any  light  at  all  ; every  where  and 
at  all  hours  the  political  speaker  found  a ready  and  a willing  audience. 
Do  you  not  remember  it  ? Did  you  ever  experience  or  witness  so  great  an 
excitement  in  reference  to  the  politics  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ? 

Do  you  remember  how  readily,  too,  the  purse-strings  were  opened  ? Do 
you  not  remember,  some  of  you,  when  a political  friend  called  upon  you 
for  money  when  the  exigencies  of  a party  demanded  a large  assembly  of 
the  people  or  a costly  procession,  how  freely  and  how  liberally  you  poured 
it  into  his  hands  ? 

How  is  it,  then,  when  money  is  needed  for  the  purposes  of  Him  whose  are 
the  silver  and  the  gold,  and  the  cattle  upon  a thousand  hills  ? Ah  ! how 
many  are  there  in  the  Church  who  give  less  in  the  course  of  a year  for  the 
conversion  of  the  world  than  they  willingly  expend  on  a single  evening’s 
entertainment  for  their  friends,  or  for  a single  article  of  superfluous  dress, 
or  of  elegant  furniture  ! Is  this  right  ? Is  it  right,  at  this  day,  when 
the  whole  world  has  become  one  vast  field  of  missionary  enterprise, 


AND  THEIR  CLAIMS  ON-  THE  CHURCH. 


19 


for  the  man  of  wealth  to  surround  himself  with  every  luxury,  while  he  con- 
tributes but  an  insignificant  fraction  of  his  superabundant  wealth  to  the 
work  of  saving  souls  from  death  ? 

But  this  is  not  a work  to  be  done  by  the  rich  alone.  It  belongs  alike  to 
all.  Those  whose  dwelling  is  in  the  garret  or  the  cellar,  may  labor  as 
acceptably  and  as  efficiently  as  those  whose  home  is  the  costly  mansion. 
It  is  not  money  alone  that  we  want.  It  is  prayer.  And  we  want  more 
than  this.  We  want  your  sons  and  your  daughters.  Give  them  freely. 
Christ  demands  the  sacrifice. 

Is  it  not  an  honour  and  a privilege  which  our  Lord  has  conferred  upon  us 
in  permitting  us  to  contribute  something  to  the  accomplishment  of  his  vast 
designs  ? Can  we  be  employed  in  a nobler  work  than  that  which  occupies 
the  man  who,  in  whatever  sphere  he  moves,  consecrates  all  his  powers  and 
all  his  substance  to  the  service  of  Christ,  and  the  best  interests  of  men  ? 
That  is  an  insignificant  life  which  is  devoted  to  the  work  of  adding  house  to 
house  and  field  to  field,  and  amassing  wealth  to  foster  pride  and  pamper  the 
body.  This  is  an  ignoble  work.  It  is  but  to  waste  your  powers  and 
throw  away  the  precious  years  of  life,  and  heap  treasures  together  for  the 
last  days  which  shall  eat  your  flesh  as  it  were  fire.  Is  this  the  work  you 
would  chpose  for  yourselves  and  your  children  ? 

Not  such  a work  is  that  which  would  give  the  Gospel  of  our  salvation 
to  all  mankind.  This  is  a*  work  of  ineffable  glory.  It  is  glorious  in  its 
results  on  earth.  It  dries  the  tears  of  the  sons  of  sorrow  ; binds  up  the 
broken  heart ; gives  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  and  the  garment  of  praise 
for  the  spirit  of  heaviness  ; it  breaks  the  chains  of  the  oppressed,  gives 
light  to  those  who  sit  in  darkness,  and  chases  away  the  dim  and  shadowy 
shapes  of  terror  which  surround  the  heathen  in  his  path. 

How  glorious  above  all  in  its  finished  consummation  It  opens  the 
pearly  gates  of  the  holy  city,  and  fills  its  streets  and  its  shining  mansions 
with  shouts  of  joyful  praise.  It  places  the  golden  crown  on  the  sinner’s 
head,  and  the  golden  harp  in  his  hand.  It  calls  forth  the  sweetest  songs 
of  the  whole  multitude  of  the  angelic  choir,  and  fills  all  heaven  with  accla- 
mations of  praise.  Who  would  not  wish  to  take  part  in  such  a work  as 
this  ? On  that  day,  when  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  shall  appear  before 
the  assembled  worlds  to  celebrate  his  glorious  triumph  over  all  his  ene- 
mies, who  would  not  wish  to  appear  in  the  shining  ranks  of  the  honoured 
ones,  whom  he  will  then  acknowledge  as  his  trusty  allies  and  faithful 
coadjutors  in  this  blessed  work — that  work  by  which  he  wrought  out  those 
magnificent  results  which  then,  and  through  all  eternity,  will  fill  the 
highest  pinnacles  of  the  heavenly  glory  with  unbounded  admiration  and 
unutterable  joy. 


